Weekly Media Roundup: November 18, 2015

SCMS Afterschool Program Getting High Marks (Spencer Magnet, Kentucky)

Spencer County Middle School students’ test scores have improved remarkably in the last two years, thanks in part to the Grizzlies Beyond the Bell afterschool program. Each afternoon begins with a healthy snack and an hour of academic work, followed by a variety of fun activities, including archery, robotics and photography. “It is like they are learning without really realizing that they are learning,” program director Karen Leff told the Spencer Magnet. More than 100 kids take part in the program, which includes one-on-one tutoring and math and reading labs for students who need extra help.

Sioux Falls After-School Program Recognized by White House (Associated Press, South Dakota)

First Lady Michelle Obama recently presented the Washington Pavilion Community Learning Center in Sioux Falls with the 2015 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program award, the country’s highest honor for such a program. The program provides science and art experiences to more than 500 underserved youth in more than 20 locations. “These young people are learning how to use creative thinking to work as a team, to solve problems and to express themselves constructively,” center director Ann Hofland told the Associated Press. “These are exactly the kind of skills we want them to have to be able to succeed in school, in work and in life.” The award includes $10,000 to support the center’s programming.

Mattapan-to-Babson Program Aims to Build Bridge to College (Metro, Massachusetts)

Twice a week, elementary and middle school students from Boston’s Gallivan Boulevard housing development are paired with mentors from Babson and Olin Colleges. The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program pairs each young person with a college student and they often complete learning activities, play board games and discuss their future after high school. “It helps introduce them to the world of college,” BBBS vice president Richard Greif told Metro. “The first step is just opening up the possibility that this is something they could do, that it’s achievable.”

Charleston County School District Tests an Intensive New Extracurricular Program at High-Poverty Schools (Post & Courier, South Carolina)

An extended learning pilot program has given students at five high-poverty elementary schools the chance to choreograph dances, write up business plans and learn about everything from boat building to gardening to puppeteering, according to the Post & Courier. Thanks to a partnership with the Charleston Promise Neighborhood, the Kaleidoscope afterschool program, which serves around 4,000 students in the Charleston County School District, is offering its extracurricular activities for free or a much lower cost. Program organizers hope that going beyond the basic skills, reading, writing and arithmetic, and offering additional enriching, hands-on learning experiences  to more young people will pay dividends in the future.